


Slow dancing in a burning room

by Elisexyz



Series: 25 days of Swanfire fic-mas [10]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Enchanted Forest, Dancing, F/M, Fluff, Wish!verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-19 14:17:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17003244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elisexyz/pseuds/Elisexyz
Summary: Emma has never been particularly fond of rules. And, well, she's the princess. She's going to ignore one or two every now and then.





	Slow dancing in a burning room

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the "Christmas party" prompt in the [ "25 days of fic-mas" challenge on Tumblr](http://heytheredeann.tumblr.com/tagged/25-days-of-fic-mas/chrono). I tagged it Wish!verse, but Emma's characterization doesn't exactly match with the one in the episode. Plus, if you've read my other fic set in the Wish!verse, in this one Baelfire and Emma met when she was kidnapped and brought to Neverland, instead of in the Enchanted Forest. Just another way things could have gone down, basically.  
>  Also, I looked a little into religion in the Enchanted Forest (and by "looked into" I mean Wikipedia LOL), and apparently Christianity _is_ a thing, at least in some lands. So I just headcanoned that in Snow and David's kingdom they'd be Christians and celebrate Christmas.

“Your highness.”

Emma rolls her eyes fondly, straightening her dress and giving a last look at the mirror before turning right around. Baelfire is standing by the door, already dressed up for the Christmas celebrations.

Emma has seen a lot of those, she’s been forced to take part in some form or another for as long as she can remember, but for him it will be a first, and she can tell by the way the corner of his mouth twitches and his fingers keep playing with the handle of his sword that he’s a little bit nervous.

“We’re doing titles now, _Sir_ Baelfire?” she replies, raising her eyebrows.

“I should respect etiquette,” he shrugs, although they usually don’t bother with anything of the sort, if not in public, and he’s surely just trying to annoy her: she isn’t overly fond of _rules_ , or of big parties such as the one they are about to attend, and he’s a little shit.

“Well, then _technically_ you should have no access to my chambers either,” she points out.

He has been living in the palace since they got themselves out of Neverland: she spent only a few months there, and she was lucky enough that Baelfire snatched her away before she could be brought to Pan. They hid in his cave the whole time, and he had been there long enough that they both got by pretty okay. When he figured out a way to escape, of course he took her with him, and of course she didn't let him wander off on his own once they were back home, taking him to her family instead. He was made into a knight, because saving a princess’ life is enough to make you worthy of the title, and since his parents are both dead he was also offered a place to stay.

Her parents like him: her dad has been training him, teaching him how to properly swordfight – apparently, he ‘fights like a pirate’, which isn’t exactly a compliment –, and her mom adores him. Emma sometimes jokes that he’s their new favourite child, but honestly when she looks at how Baelfire’s whole face lights up when he’s treated as part of the family she can’t bring herself to mind it.

“Good point,” he concedes, shifting a little on his feet.

“How do I look?” she asks, opening up her arms as an invitation to take a good look and doing, she believes, a decent job at masking the nervousness that she feels as he raises his eyes on her.

“Beautiful,” he immediately supplies, offering a sheepish smile. “The queen asked me to check if you were ready,” he adds, after a pause.

“Yeah, ready to die of boredom,” she grumbles, which earns her an amused grin.

“Come on, it can’t be that bad. I’m curious.”

“You only think that because you haven’t spent half of your life at these parties. They are full of rules and _people_ and more _rules_ —”

“Well,” he says, thoughtfully, clicking his tongue. “We can always sneak out, just give me the signal.”

She grins, already enjoying the prospective: Emma pretty much knows all the ins and out of the palace, and she and Baelfire have been sneaking out, every now and then, for some unauthorized time outside – mostly to meet up with Pinocchio, in the woods.

She’s always done it, although the first time after Neverland that her parents realized that they weren’t there they received an earful like Emma never did before. They got scared, afraid that someone had taken her again, so since then they have been slipping out only when her parents aren’t anywhere near around to possibly notice.

“Be ready, I will,” she warns. “So, will you escort me to the annual Christmas party of boredom?”

He snorts, amused. “After you, your highness,” he replies, jokingly bowing as he lets her go ahead.

At least this year there’s someone _fun_ attending.

 

 

As tradition would want it, Emma is supposed to have a dance with her father, then with a guest of her choosing. She always hates that part, because there is literally _no one_ that she would like to have a dance with – partially because she dreads _dancing_ to begin with.

This year, though, there might just be someone.

_Technically_ , she should choose a guest, and knights are supposed to stay lined up and look pretty for that first part. But, well, she’s the princess, what good does that do if she doesn’t break a rule or two – or maybe five – every now and then?

She walks right in front of Baelfire, who looks at her like she’s just gone crazy, and she offers her hand, head held high as she stares at him, daring him to refuse.

He looks mildly panicked for a moment, he casts a glance behind her, probably to her mom or her dad, and apparently her parents have decided to let her have a bit of fun, because a moment later Baelfire is bowing, laying a kiss on the top of her hand and finally escorting her closer to the centre of the room.

He’s a little clumsy when he pulls her closer and lays his hand on her waist, and she’s pretty sure that he’s blushing. She just grins, successfully ignoring the backflip that her stomach does.

“I’ve literally never done this before in my life,” he confesses, in a whisper, when there’s music to cover their voices and people dancing all around them.

“Come on, you’re doing great,” she encourages, although he has stepped on the tip of her shoe two times already. It doesn’t really matter. “I just didn’t want you to miss out on the _fun_.”

“You wanted to bring me down with you, you mean,” he corrects, raising his eyebrows.

She can’t help the guilty grin that spreads on her face. “I distinctly remember you promising to take care of me,” she points out. “This qualifies, Bae.”

“Dancing with you in front of everybody even though I don’t know what I’m doing is taking care of you?” he snorts, sceptical, his hand twitching around hers. “Plus, you promised the same thing, and yet you’re trying to make me suffer.”

“No, I’m just giving you a crash curse in dancing,” she replies. A pause. “With an audience.”

He rolls his eyes, with a fond smile that causes her stomach to backflip once again – by now, she’s almost getting used to it.

“Plus, if we are already together it will be easier to sneak out,” she points out, glancing at the food on the table. “Say, by getting something to eat after this dance is over?”

“I wouldn’t mind another song,” he says, quickly, his eyes darting away for a moment. “I mean, I’m starting to get this. It isn’t half bad.”

She can’t help smiling a little. “Alright. Two songs, then we sneak out.” Honestly, she doesn’t mind this particular dance too much either.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of the [LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including: 
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions
>   * “<3” as extra kudos
>   * Reader-reader interaction
> 

> 
> If you don’t want a reply, for any reason, feel free to sign your comment with “whisper” and I will appreciate it but not respond!


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